Illustration of tiger
- tiger 1a
plural tigers
1
plural also tiger
a
: a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black
b
: any of several large wildcats (such as the jaguar or cougar)
c
: a domestic cat with striped pattern
d
Australia
: tasmanian tiger
2
a
: a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality
aroused the tiger in him
a tiger for work
b
: someone or something (such as a situation) that is formidable or impossible to control
how the tiger of inflation can be tamed—
J. A. Davenport
—often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail
J. A. Davenport3
British
: a groom in livery
tigerishly
adverb
tigerishness
noun
Examples of tiger in a Sentence
He was a tiger on the basketball court.
even the best defense can't keep that tiger from scoring
Recent Examples on the Web
The intrigue: While he won't be featured on the livestream, a new tiger cub is out to play at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
—Kate Murphy, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Those who were born in the year of the tiger within the Chinese Zodiac are said to be brave, competitive and confident as well as independent.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Both of those works are not simple celebrations—however sumptuous or energetic—of Dial as tiger.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024
Sumatran tigers are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and fewer than 400 are believed to live in the wild, according the Louisville Zoo.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Kate Murphy, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Those who were born in the year of the tiger within the Chinese Zodiac are said to be brave, competitive and confident as well as independent.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Both of those works are not simple celebrations—however sumptuous or energetic—of Dial as tiger.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024
Sumatran tigers are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and fewer than 400 are believed to live in the wild, according the Louisville Zoo.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tiger
Dictionary Entries Near tiger
Cite this Entry
“Tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiger. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tiger
noun
ti·ger
ˈtī-gər 
plural tigers also tiger
1
: a large Asian flesh-eating mammal of the same family as the domestic cat with a coat that is typically light brown to orange with mostly vertical black stripes
2
: any of several large wildcats (as the jaguar or cougar)
3
: a domestic cat with a striped coat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share